It could also be said that 50-year-old Dickens should know potentially lethal situations, since she's had prominent roles on “Treme,” “Deadwood,” “House of Cards” and “Sons of Anarchy.”

And now the companion show to “The Walking Dead.”

A lot of bodies there.

Dickens insists that no, she's “not particularly drawn” to shows with a high danger level — though she admits that “on this one, you'd have to think no one's safe.”

Still, she says, what she likes about it is that it's not just a zombie bloodfest.

“When we meet Madison, she and her fiancé are just trying to find a normal life for their families under one roof,” she says. “To me, that's what the whole show is about even when the world starts to crumble.

“We're the entry point into the apocalypse. The viewers see it through our eyes. When it happens, we have to remain human. That's our challenge.

“Madison and the others have to find a way to build a community again.”

Filming “Fear,” Dickens says, has been “a very physical job,” even though most of the first season's six episodes take place before Los Angeles is completely overrun with zombies.

The buildup to the inevitable creates considerable tension for Madison. Perhaps because of all those other shows, Dickens says she can deal with it.

“Fortunately for me, I can usually leave all that on the set,” she says. “I had some nightmares the first few nights, but after that I was fine.”